Description

Buffalo Bill's Wild West and the Russian Cossacks (Enquirer
Lithography, 1898). Poster (27" X 41") and Snipe (30" X
6.5").
A quite rare Buffalo Bill Wild West poster for his famous "Cossack"
trick equestrian riders. This is a very historically important
poster as it now is seen as one of Buffalo Bill's most successful
"Ballyhoo's." In reality, the riders were actually Georgian
peasants from the mountain villages, recruited in 1892 with a very
different heritage and culture than 'Cossacks." Ever the expedient
showman, with the wave of a fountain pen, Georgian peasants became
'Cossacks.' But to understand the shrewdness of Buffalo Bill in
giving the world what they wanted to see, we need to reflect that
at his hand, many gentle Sioux became wild "Apaches" (and every
single one of them a Chief!), all Asiatic women became
"Princesses", and routine US Army horsemen became "Colonels," (and
the list goes one.) The "Cossacks" became legitimate overnight
sensations and were even sent for to perform for the Queen of
England before they left for the US from where they performed from
1893 until WWI. A review in a Philadelphia newspaper in April of
1893 stated: "They stood in the saddle, on their feet and on their
hands and kicked their legs as the horses flew madly around." The
act was extremely popular, and this beautiful stone lithograph
shows four of their best equestrian tricks. Some minor condition
defects have been rendered invisible with quality restoration and
top linenbacking. There were small chips in the crossfold
separations, a tear in the top left just into the art, a small tear
in the top "l" of Buffalo, and small chips in three borders. The
interior art needed very little touchup. A companion piece to this
poster in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wy., is dated
1898, and is from the same Enquirer Job Printing Co. We do know
that the poster was used as late as 1903, when Buffalo Bill once
again toured Liverpool from 4 May to 23 May. Also within this lot
is a paper "snipe" which was originally attached to the bottom of
the poster. Fine/Very Fine on Linen.